Why pros are 'banking' the rally will continue

The S&P 500 is looking for its eight straight day of gains. The FMHR traders discuss the positive tone ahead of earnings and a mid-week Bernanke hearing. Steve DeSanctis, Bank of America weighs in on small cap stocks. DeSanctis says the "Russell 2000 will hit 1,100 by the end of the year."

As the stock market advanced near all-time highs on Monday, professional traders said it's the strength in the financial sector that could send stocks even higher.

Early results from financial companies have been largely positive. Citigroup, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase posted profits that beat forecasts, though JPMorgan said it might be forced to accelerate cost-cutting because of difficult market conditions. Looking ahead, the sector is seen posting profit growth of 19.6 percent in the quarter, by far the highest among S&P groups, Reuters reported.

The strong earnings and movement in the bank stocks is only validating the broader rally, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Monday on "Squawk on the Street." That viewpoint was shared by other pro traders who appeared on CNBC Monday.

"I'm looking for some blowout numbers out of Goldman tomorrow," options trader Jon Najarian said from the Chicago Board Options Exchange. "We'll see whether or not that plays out, but I think Goldman is poised to really surprise us tomorrow morning in a positive way."

In Weiss' opinion, Goldman Sachs is by far "the gold standard in the business."

Terranova, too, is long GS, but he also likes Morgan Stanley. Morgan showed an "incredible display of confidence" when it recently raised margin guidance, he said. In turn, he thinks the stock could go to $30 a share.